In The News

A Path to Global Disarmament

Hans Blix October 5, 2006
With North Korea threatening to test a nuclear weapon and openly blast its way into the nuclear club, the world is at a dangerous crossroads. The world community must craft careful responses to the states that are determined to become nuclear powers, writes Hans Blix, chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission. History has shown that incentives work better than threats. The...

US-Russia Effort to Contain Nuclear Experts Fades

Fred Weir September 22, 2006
Terrorists in search of weapons of mass destruction could turn to nuclear scientists for advice. The US and Russia established a joint program in 1998 providing opportunities for former Soviet scientists with nuclear secrets, and the program is set to expire. Ten Russian cities – once major Soviet sites for nuclear research and still home for 35,000 underemployed scientists – remain closed and...

UN Inspectors Dispute Iran Report by House Panel

Dafna Linzer September 14, 2006
The US continues to clash with international agencies about global threats. United Nations inspectors label a report about Iran nuclear activities from the US House of Representatives as “misleading” and “unsubstantiated.” The report on the Iranian nuclear program also criticizes the work of UN inspectors. Inspectors with the UN International Atomic Energy (IAEA) Agency had similar disagreements...

In Iran, a Surprising, Confounding World

David Ignatius September 13, 2006
The Iranian revolution took place nearly 30 years ago, and since then, Iran has become one of the major drivers of Middle Eastern affairs. The rhetoric and actions of many of its leaders, however, remain mired in the brinksmanship of the revolutionary period. Yet journalist David Ignatius cautions that, despite the international attention bestowed on Iran’s president, the country has no one...

Call the Conflict by Its Proper Name: Geo-Civil War

John Brenkman September 12, 2006
Conflict flaring throughout the Middle East is neither a clash of civilizations nor civil war, but instead a geo-civil war, according to John Brenkman, professor and international-affairs analyst. Brenkman argues that an appropriate label could lead to a better understanding of the conflicts and thus influence policy to bring about resolutions and stability. The conflicts have multiple sources...

The Basis for Iran's Belligerence

Shlomo Ben-Ami September 8, 2006
Without doubt, Israel has some dangerous foes. Attempts to remove those foes by military means and regime change, without efforts at diplomacy, have only strengthened old enemies and created new ones. Israel has good reason to worry about Iran, as the country develops nuclear capability and the president calls for Israel’s destruction. Israel cannot really depend on the US, which now struggles...

We Should Be Wary of a Nuclear Reaction

Andrew Davies September 6, 2006
The only viable alternative to oil and gas for energy purposes is nuclear power at this point in time. But analyst Andrew Davies cautions against resolving the threat of diminishing fossil fuels that contribute to global warming with another energy source that poses a separate set of dangers. Australia is a major exporter of yellow-cake uranium and, as the world searches for new sources of fuel,...